


Mine to Keep

by TheMidnightRiot



Category: Invader Zim
Genre: Alien Abduction, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Smut, Fluff and Angst, Frenemies, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-03
Updated: 2019-09-20
Packaged: 2020-10-09 04:40:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20500004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheMidnightRiot/pseuds/TheMidnightRiot
Summary: Zim comes to realize that he can't murder his mortal enemy and Dib comes to realize he might be less brave than he thought himself to be in the face of real danger. These two (separate) realizations might bring a truce between the two frenemies, and maybe even...something more?





	1. Abduction

**Author's Note:**

> this is a work in progress. please, be patient.

Dib couldn't tell whether his eyes were closed or whether the lights were off. As he tried shuffling around he found himself to be paralyzed: he could feel something gripping tightly around his wrists and ankles, his arms had gone numb and his whole body felt groggy and fatigued. "Don't panic" he thought, "this is probably just another sleep paralysis episode". Dib cursed under his breath, how often had his father lectured him that he should fix his sleep schedule? Or maybe it was because he'd been feeling a bit on the edge lately, experiencing a crushing wave of stress and anxiety. After all, it's not easy being the sole protector of the Earth against the evil machinations of...

ZIM!

The lights flickered on without warning, blinding Dib. He narrowed his eyes and instinctively tried to shield them, but couldn't feel his arms. As he turned his sight away so as not to worsen his already poor eyesight, Dib heard a soft humming and tiny footsteps echoing through the room. The footsteps got progressively louder until they stopped at what sounded like a close distance from where he was standing. Dib blinked a couple of times to adjust his eyes to the light and finally turned back to meet the shit-eating grin of none other than Invader Zim himself. 

\- Why hello there, Dib,-the Irken spoke in a happy-go-lucky tone. He sounded particularly cheerful today,-did you sleep well? I hope you found my experimental tank to be QUITE the comfort!

Zim let out one of his trademark evil laughs. Dib shot back a glare and came to realize his vision was blurry. Crap, my glasses! Of course Zim wouldn't have put him in an experiments tank with his glasses on, and even if he did they probably had slid off of his face while he was unconscious. Dib tried to look around but between the intense lights of the laboratory and his blurry vision he couldn't get much of his surroundings. He could barely tell apart the Irken-shaped blob of magenta and green standing in front of him, cackling like a maniac. 

Zim finished laughing and cleared his throat before continuing. 

\- Anyhow, as you might have realized by now, you big-brained idiot, the almighty Zim has KIDNAPPED YOU! And imprisoned you in one of my, ahem, advanced Irken technology capsules, where I shall be experimenting on you to find out more about the likes of your, hurgh, INFERIOR species!

Dib struggled within his chains as he let out grumbles of discomfort.

\- You won't...get away with this...Zim...  
\- Why, Dib, it seems I already have.

And there's that maniatic laughter again. Zim's laughter always pierced through Dib's ears, always a decibel too loud, always went on for too long. He groaned as Zim continued to laugh for a full minute before stopping sharp and pointing towards Dib. 

\- NOW, I shall begin the experiments!

The black-haired boy grunted, shuffled and struggled to break free. His body was suspended up in the air, paralyzed by metallic ropes and shackles. Even if he could break his ankles free, he didn't have the time or the means to free his arms from the shackles, and he wasn't so sure if the glass of the tank was thin enough to be kicked through. Zim let him struggle for as long as he pleased.

\- YES! YES, HUMAN! FIGHT, FIGHT FOR YOUR MISERABLE LIFE!,- and he let out another laugh. Somewhere in the vicinity, Dib heard a little robot voice join in with the laughter.

He usually tried to conceal his emotions when he was in front of his enemy, but right now he felt truly, genuienly helpless in a way he never had before. "Maybe Zim really got me this time" he thought, "maybe I won't be able to save planet Earth now...". For the first time, Dib put his head down and sighed. He stopped struggling in his shackles, realizing it was no use. Zim approached the tank with a devilish snicker and placed his black claw on the glass.

\- What is it, DIB?!- Zim taunted him from the other side of the glass,-is the wittwe baby too scared to fight back?

Dib was just about sick of hearing Zim laugh at him today, but he was too weak and tired to do anything about it. He heard Zim step away from the tank, probably towards one of his control panels, and spared a moment to think about his family one last time. His dad, the great Professor Membrane, popped into mind first: he was always too busy being a world-famous scientist to spend time with him, and he never seemed to believe him when he'd tried,-endlessly-, to show him the truth about Zim; but whenever he actually was around he was a loving, doting father, and Dib couldn't have wished for another one. Next came his little sister, Gaz: she was a thorn in his butt most of the time, always had her purple curls buried into a video-game console, but he felt very protective of her the way only big brothers do, and he concluded that life would be pretty lonely without his creepy little sister to tag along. 

And that was about it, Dib's family wasn't very big. He quietly bid them goodbye, although he knew they wouldn't be able to hear it. He wondered if they'd cry for him, if they'd miss him; if they'd notice he was gone at all. Just thinking about being murdered by a sadistic alien invader and being forgotten by everyone on the planet he'd so desperately tried to save filled Dib with a sense of unbearable dread and despair. 

Zim pressed a few buttons on one of the many control panels in the laboratory. Seconds later, Dib's tank began to fill with an unknown liquid. Before Dib had time to panic,-or scream-, something sharp and robotic impaled him through an arm and everything turned to black.


	2. Torture Chamber

Dib abruptly regained consciousness to find himself tied spread-eagle to a cold lab table. He bewilderedly tried to break free from yet another set of shackles binding him to Zim's laboratory. His vision was still blurry, his mind was fuzzy and he felt like a steamhammer was poking at his chest with every passing second. Before he had time to think anything a tall he heard the sound of sliding doors parting and the tap-tap-tap of tiny alien claws marching towards him.

\- Why hello there, Dib!- the Irken greeted him with a cheerful tone.

\- You already said that, Zim- Dib's speech sounded groggy and his words slurred into each other, causing Zim to cackle.  
  
\- Did I? I don't seem to remember, maybe it was so long ago...- Zim thought out loud.  
  
\- Wait...how long was I out? What day is it today?- Dib said as his eyes darted around the room, bewildered as ever.  
  
\- Foolish human! It's only been a few hours, you think I would keep you down here in my lab for days?!  
  
-I thought you wanted to experiment with me, you dumbass.  
  
\- Of COURSE I do!- Zim's voice was loud, louder than usual. It echoed through the walls of the lab and stabbed Dib's eardrums.  
  
\- Geez, could you please lower your voice? My head feels like it's gonna explode, what did you do to me?

Zim frowned at the prisioner's insolent request, but humored him anyways by speaking at a lower volume while he monologued in circles around the table..

\- Now, you might be wondering what you're doing tied up to my lab table.  
  
\- It'd be nice to know, yeah,- even as he was being held hostage by his mortal enemy, Dib couldn't help but sass him.

\- SILENCE!- the volume of Zim's command was enough to deafen Dib for a few seconds, shutting him right up,-now, as I was saying, I'm going to commence my series of long, painful, torturous experiments on Dib, the ugly poopy-headed human that has been trying to foil my plans since the beginning.

\- You've been monologuing a long while now, Zim, isn't it about time you started already?

Zim stuttered, dumbfounded by Dib's sudden clapback.

\- W-why, I WAS ABOUT T-TO! Stupid human.  
  
\- Go on now, get it over with already. I've got all day long,- Dib knew better than to seal his fate this way, but he already felt like he'd been defeated by Zim. This was all just useless trash talk.

Zim approached a control panel to Dib's right and, after pressing a few buttons, a mechanical noise rumbled through the lab and a giant syringe emerged from a compartment in the ceiling. It lowered itself until it was in close proximity to Dib's exposed chest. The prisioner gulped with fear. Zim raised both eyebrows and grinned devilishly.

\- I-I already have my vaccines in check, Zim. N-nice try, t-though,- he didn't feel so tough now.  
  
\- Whatever a "vaccine" is I don't care, Dib,- the Irken stepped close to the empty syringe levitating above Dib and gently petted its side,- but this is no ordinary syringe; while it might be empty now, it'll soon be filled with a most deadly liquid!

Zim took out a small button pad from one of his uniform pockets and pressed it. Immediatley the syringe began filling up with a bright purple liquid. Dib began to sweat profusely.

\- A-alright, fair enough Zim, you've made your point. Whaddya want? Huh?  
  
\- I want nothing else but to test the effects of this Irken serum on your frail human body,- Zim explained as he circled around the lab table.  
  
\- Why me, though? If you'd wanted to destroy me from the beggining you would've done so already. Why now?  
  
\- BECAUSE!- Zim sharply retorted,- your comically pathetic attempts at stopping me were entertaining at first, but I believe I've let this go on for long enough. There's no way a SILLY HUMAN like YOU could ever stop THE GREAT ZIM!

  
There was a brief silence.

  
\- Plus the Almighty Tallest are probably getting impatient and I want to present them with a gift when they come to visit me and overview my gleaming success at conquering this planet,- he continued as he pressed a few more buttons on a control panel, this time to Dib's left.

A few gears shuffled and the syringe made a strange sound, as if it was preparing to inject Dib with the serum. He began to grow more and more desperate by the second.

\- Alright, alright, I'm sorry! I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry I tried to tamper with your plans to take over the planet, I'm sorry! I'll do anything, anything, I'll leave you alone, and I'll never mess with your plans again just-please! Please don't hurt me, Zim! Please don't hurt me!"

As tough as he liked to appear on the outside, in the end Dib was still just a kid. And right now, he was truly, really, genuinely scared for his life for the first time ever.

Zim didn't even look away from the control panel.

\- It's no use pleading with me now, human! You've had this a long time coming, it's about time you paid for your insolences against the great ZIM!

Dib heard (and felt) even more gears shuffling around and moving. He felt the shackles on his wrists and ankles tighten.

\- Zim, please! Please! I'll do anything you want! Just please!- were those...tears he felt coming? Oh fuck, oh no, the last thing Dib wanted to do was cry in front of the alien. He tried to fight back the tears and keep his composture but the situation overwhelmed him. The waterworks overflowed his eyes, blurring his vision tenfold. He had to struggle just to breathe. At this point he had no direct control of his words, he just blurted out whatever.

None of Dib's word scramble was intelligible to Zim, who had now turned around to see the human boy thrashing and struggling in his shackles and blurting out incoherences while a strange liquid poured out of his eye sockets. Zim felt curious enough about this that he stopped paying attention to his control panel and turned it towards his prisioner, who seemed more distressed and upset than he'd originally anticipated. He walked towards the lab table to get closer to Dib while he inspected him. Dib was so out of it he barely noticed the Irken eyeing him with curiosity.

Zim put his hands (claws?) on Dib's shoulders and forced him into place, which only tripled his panic and caused him to thrash harder. The alien had to resort to one of the metallic legs from his PAK just to subdue Dib properly. Zim placed a finger on one of Dib's eyes and tasted the mystery liquid.

Big mistake. He immediatley spat it out and went into a coughing fit.

\- What was that about, Dib?!  
  
\- H-huh?- Dib would've wiped away his tears if he'd been able to freely use his hands.  
  
\- This mysterious liquid that emerged from your eyes! Did you try to poison me? Was this another one of your ploys?- Zim threathened, holding up the finger he'd used to taste-test Dib's tears.  
  
\- You mean...my tears?

Zim paused for a moment, dumbfounded.

\- COMPUTER!- he commanded loudly.  
  
\- What?!- a robotic, annoyed voice replied.  
  
\- Computer,- Zim turned away from the lab table and quietly whispered,- what are tears?  
  
\- Tears are a clear liquid secreted by the lacrimal glands or "tear ducts" in the eyes of the majority of land mammals,- the computer replied loudly enough for both Zim and Dib to hear. Zim made agitated gestures at the computer to lower its voice, but it'd obviously done it on purpose.  
  
\- Ahem, and...what are their purpose?- Zim continued to inquire out loud this time, not caring whether Dib heard him or not.  
  
\- Humans are the only mammals known to produce tears as part of an emotional response. Tears have symbolic significance among humans. Emotional secretion of tears may serve a biological function by excreting stress-inducing hormones built up through times of emotional distress,- the computer finished replying before shutting off, too bored to continue with its explanation. But Zim had heard enough. He turned back to Dib, who was still sniffling but lay still on the lab table.

Zim sighed and pressed another button on his control panel. The giant syringe withdrew itself back into the ceiling compartment and the shackles regressed into the lab table's surface. Dib was so shocked by this that for a few moments he didn't move, didn't make a sound. He just kept on lying there until Zim poked him with one of his claws.

\- Ouch!- he exclaimed, and then he realized that he'd sat up and he could move his arms and his legs. He sat there looking at his fingers move, as if this was the first time seeing them, and then sat on the edge of the table watching Zim walk around the laboratory doing God-knows-what.

\- Why did you let me go?- he asked, a twinge of gratitude in his voice but still feeling very confused.  
  
\- Because,- Zim didn't feel the need to answer anything else. He just shrugged and walked towards another set of sliding doors Dib hadn't noticed were behind him. The doors parted to let Zim through, and as Zim stepped into what looked like an elevator, Dib reached out his arm.  
  
\- WAIT!- he shouted, and Zim just stood there with a blank-eyed stare.

Dib didn't know what to say. He couldn't tell whether this was another trap, or whether he was hallucinating under the effects of the mysterious purple liquid.

\- Thank you...- was all he could come up with. Zim simply resorted to nodding, then the doors shut close and Dib heard a shooshing sound, like a platform moving upwards. He looked around the lab once more, in a state of utter confusion, and all he could do was just sit there, thinking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: Zim reacted the way he did to Dib's tears because they're salty, and Irkens don't really like salty food.


	3. Convictions

It had been about a week since Dib's abduction. Thankfully Zim did it in such a time frame where his dad wasn't home and Gaz was out at the arcade, so nobody had even noticed his absence. He felt relieved for that, he really didn't feel like coming up with excuses or explaining everything. He just wanted to curl up into a ball and sleep forever. The first few days he couldn't even get out of bed to go to school, so he invented some out-of-the-blue cold to his father and stayed in his room for three days. He didn't even care if Zim noticed his abscence from skool. He didn't care about many things at all now.

  
What was wrong with him? He was supposed to be a brave hero, a protector of the Earth, a savior from the evil plans of the Irken empire and its invader. And yet when faced with potential, true danger he'd cowered and cried like a little baby. What kind of paranormal investigator was he? If the guys at the Swollen Eyeball Network ever heard of this they'd effectively kick him out of the organization for his failure. For a big-headed kid, Dib felt and wished that he were very, very small right that very moment, so that nobody could find him or look at him again.

  
He'd cried in front of his sworn enemy, the enemy of all humanity. He felt weak, stupid, pathetic and many more things at once. He'd probably looked so pathetic and weak that Zim had to let him go because he couldn't bear to see something like that. For those few days all he could do was sink into depression and veg out on the couch with Mysterious Mysteries as background noise.

  
By the fourth day, Gaz took notice of her brother's unusual state.

  
\- Alright, what is it now?- she asked as she hopped on the couch next to Dib. He barely threw her a sideways glance.  
  
\- What do you mean?  
  
\- You've been suspiciously quiet these past few days. Even when you're sick it isn't like you not to be a pain in the butt.   
  
\- I have no idea what you mean, Gaz,- Dib mumbled as he lazily changed the channel.  
  
\- You're a terrible liar, Dib, I know something's up with you!  
  
\- Nothing's up with me, I just have a cold,- he avoided Gaz's piercing stare and looked out the window. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Gaz said:  
  
\- Is this about Zim?  
  
\- NO IT'S NOT!- Dib had tried to keep cool and, yet again, failed. The purple-haired girl noticed she'd caught her brother's attention and couldn't help but chuckle.  
  
\- Of course it is, how could I ever think otherwise.  
  
\- This isn't about Zim, okay! It's just...- Dib wanted to say something to redeem himself, but Gaz had seen right through his bullshit. He just lowered his head and sat there in silence.   
  
\- You really are an awful liar, you know that right?- she said while she sneered at him,- you can tell me all about it.  
  
\- Like hell I am!- he raised his fist, trying to be menacing. Gaz didn't fall for it.  
  
\- Alright, fine, keep wasting on that couch forever for all I care,- she hopped off the sofa cushion and turned her back to her brother,- I've got better things to do anyway.  
  
As she began walking away she felt something tug on her sleeve. When she turned back she saw a crestfallen Dib holding onto her arm. He slowly looked up at her and she saw tears swelling up his eyes.  
  
\- Oh man...- was all she could mutter as she sat back down on the couch next to her brother.

  
Zim was pacing back and forth down in his basement laboratory. He felt restless and spaced out, which is ironic for an alien that doesn't usually need sleep. He'd been feeling this way since that day. Yeah, that day. Nothing had turned out he'd planned on that very day.

  
He'd finally gotten ahold of him. His worst enemy on planet Earth, Dib Membrane, was finally at his mercy trapped in his underground laboratory. He was finally going to get his revenge on his sworn archnemesis, for all those years of trying to foil his plans and stop him from ruling the Earth and succeeding in his invasion. Oh, how he'd delighted in all the horrible, ugly things he would do to him. For weeks he'd prepared all sorts of nasty Irken serums to test out on the human's biology, and he'd set up the lab just for the sole purpose of torturing Dib. Finally, all he'd needed to do was sit and wait for the right moment...

  
Dib spent most of his time inside his lab unconscious and plugged up with tubes and cables. The abduction hadn't been a lost cause: while he was pondering what to do with him first Zim had, after all, taken the opportunity to study human biology and anatomy in-depth. You know, before he actually destroyed him. While Dib was asleep inside the tank Zim ran a bunch of tests and scienc-y stuff and got the chance to learn a lot about the human species, moreso than he had in all these past years. He sat in front of the tank for hours on end, waiting for test results, just staring into Dib's floating, unconscious, partially-naked body (he'd kept his underwear on for modesty) with curiosity. It was the first time he saw a human body underneath all those hideous clothes humans choose to wear; Dib's fashion choices were particularly undesirable, Zim thought. But under that ugly trenchcoat and stupid clothes he wasn't so bad after all...

  
Once he'd gotten bored of running tests and cross-referencing results with past abducted specimens (this wasn't Zim's first rodeo), he'd decided it was time for the fun to start. The bright purple liquid in the syringe was an Irken serum often injected into smeets to enhance their growth and help develop their cognitive structures. Zim was mighty curious to see what it would do for human DNA. Dib fit the right criteria: as far as Irken lifespans go, he was but a developing smeet.

  
Of course Zim knew it had the potential to be catastrophic. Alien DNA and human DNA don't mix. But he thought he'd be delighted to watch Dib twist in unbearable pain as his body collapsed. Zim guessed that once you get what you want, you no longer want it at all.

  
He really was about to do it. He was seconds away from doing so, the stupid Dib boy was taunting him even. But then...something happened. Zim thought he knew humans well enough to find their general behavior predictable, but he'd never seen one cry. After he let Dib out of his laboratory he spent hours with Computer researching on this "crying" thing humans do. He even sought out material (aka watched sappy romantic movies) and tried it out for himself, to see if he also had the capacity to "cry" (he thought it'd help him blend in better with the humans). Irkens don't typically have emotions, nor are they known to cry, and Zim was a soldier, the elitest of the elite. He couldn't afford to develop or show emotions if he wanted to succeed in his mission.

  
He'd never seen Dib in such a vulnerable state before. For years they'd been strifing, time and time again. He'd seen Dib get hurt, physically, he'd seen him be happy and angry (mostly angry), he'd seen him in a number of emotional states, but he'd never once seen him in such a state where he'd cried and screamed out of fear. It was funny, really: Zim thought that seeing his mortal enemy in such a state would've brought him joy and laughter and delight at finally seeing his revenge completed.

  
But it hadn't. Quite the opposite, really. It'd made him feel awful. He knew he'd been the one to cause it, and he wasn't happy about it at all. He didn't want to do that to someone ever again. It was one thing when Dib comically foiled his genius plans to invade the Earth and take over the human race; it was fun when they did this game of cat-and-mouse and fought each other for power. It was hilarious when he made Dib look like a total clown in front of other humans, or when he tried to expose him as an alien and failed miserably. Now THAT was freaking hilarious and sent him into laughing fits.

  
Yet seeing Dib suffer, it just...it didn't have the same effect. He didn't like it. He felt terrible and the feeling wouldn't go away. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shake it off. What was happening to him? Invader blood ran through his veins! He was meant to be a fearless, all-powerful conqueror, one that his Tallests would be most proud of! The Earth was such a naiive, clueless planet, and without an obstacle like Dib in his way it'd be easy to take over! So why?! Why wasn't he happy?! Why couldn't he go through with it?!

  
Why did he let Dib go unharmed?

  
\- Urgh!- Zim groaned out loud and banged his head against one of his lab tanks. He looked up to admire the tank: it tripled him in size, meant for larger specimens, should he ever catch one. He'd used it to hold Dib hostage for a few hours, before transferring him to the laboratory table. Zim placed a hand on the tank's glass and stared into it longingly.

  
Maybe he wasn't the invader he thought he was.


	4. Truce

Finally, Dib returned to skool. It was getting unbereable in that house already, and for once in his life he actually preferred his drooling, brainless classmates and Mrs. Bitters to sitting home alone watching Mysterious Mysteries all day. Nobody asked about his absences when he sat at his desk that morning, but it didn't matter to him: it's not like he had any friends at skool anyway.

  
Much to his surprise, Zim showed up as well in his disguise. Dib wondered if Zim showed up to class when he was absent, if after all he was only at skool to spy on him rather than to learn more about human culture. It didn't matter either. Few things mattered now. He felt like a failure,-no, he was a failure now-, so he guessed a lot would have to change now, starting with him. He'd no longer try to foil Zim's plans to take over the Earth. Even if he somehow magically gained back his confidence and stepped up to the challenge, it's not like anybody ever believed him. Not even his own family believed him.

  
Unbeknownst to him, Zim was also thinking about change. That fateful day, when he couldn't bring himself to torture his nemesis even as he was subdued and at his mercy, made him feel like a sort of failure as well. He wasn't the ruthless invader he thought himself to be. If he couldn't cast aside his dumb human morals to torture a frail, defenseless human who was always interfering with his plans, then who was he to conquer a whole planet? How would he face the Almighty Tallest after this? Zim had failed his mission. He couldn't be an invader.

  
Both boys hung their heads down in their desks as they pondered the disappointment they felt for themselves. They didn't even look at each other the whole class, feeling embarassed about the past week's episode. They avoided each other for the rest of the day: in the hallways, during homeroom, at lunch... even Mrs. Bitters was surprised by the peace and quiet that reigned over the classroom that day, and deliberately pointed it out during the last period in front of the whole class. Neither Dib nor Zim acknowledged it.

  
Dib took his usual route home by himself. He was oddly surprised by how calm his day had been, he'd been for sure certain Zim would taunt him in front of his classmates the day he showed up again at school. But the alien hadn't even so much as glanced his way all day. Maybe he'd been such a pissbaby that Zim simply didn't consider him a threat anymore and had moved onto bigger fish. Dib didn't know whether this thought pleased him or sent him into despair.

  
He heard footsteps behind him and when he turned to see who it was he was met with a huge pair of purple eyes. Zim! Was he following him home? Was he going to torment him now? Dib took a few steps backwards as he looked at the alien in awe. Zim simply let out a big sigh.

  
\- I'm not following you home, Dib; I live next to you, remember?  
  
Realization hit Dib like a brick.  
  
\- OOOH, right, right,- he let out an awkward laugh before scratching his head. Neither wanted to make eye contact, so they both looked at their own feet while they awkwardly stood there on the sidewalk.

  
Dib broke the silence first:  
  
\- I'm-I'm sorry, Zim...  
  
\- Huh? What for?- Zim sounded genuinely confused at the human's sudden apology.  
  
\- For um...I...- crap, he really didn't know what he was sorry for. He'd just figured apologizing was easier than just saying nothing and ignoring each other for the rest of their lives. He couldn't help but laugh at his own awkwardness,- I actually forgot.  
  
Dib covered his mouth as he let out a small laugh. Zim tried his hardest not to blush right at that very moment from how utterly adorable he found Dib's laugh to be.  
  
\- I just wanted to say that I'm sorry that I spent so much time trying to foil your plans to conquer the planet. I won't get in your way anymore, I promise.  
  
\- What?- Zim widended his eyes with surprise.  
  
\- You heard me loud and clear, Zim: from now on, I'll stop interfering with your invader scheme. It's been a pleasure being your enemy,- and with those words, he turned his back to Zim and soldiered on home. He didn't make it three steps before Zim abruptly stepped in his way.   
  
\- Dib? Are you okay? Did my experiments mess with your tiny human brain?- Zim was holding onto Dib by his shoulders and inspecting his head from many different angles. The boy lifted his eyebrows in confusion and took a step back from the alien.  
  
\- What? No, I'm fine Zim, it's just...- he cut himself off before he could continue. He didn't want to remember than humiliating moment of his life.   
  
\- Well it's funny you say that, actually, because I was just about to tell you something too,- Zim tried to sound cool but wound up sounding lamer than he'd expected. He fidgeted for a few seconds as Dib raised an eyebrow.   
  
\- You see, I...- turns out the alien was having a hard time speaking too. Gosh darn it, what was up with him today? "Speak now, you fool!" he thought, "it's only Dib!",- I'm actually going to retire from being an invader.  
  
\- WHAT?!- Dib had been louder than he intended to be but he didn't care, even if a few passerbys turned their heads to see what all the fuss was all about.   
  
\- That's correct: effective as of now, I'm going to be retiring from invading the planet Earth. I was actually on my way back to the base to inform the Almighty Tallest about my resignation.   
  
\- You can't do that, Zim! They'll kill you!- Dib's voice sounded way more desperate than he intended to be right that moment,- what's gonna happen to you if you fail your mission?  
  
\- I don't know. I'm not really sure,- Zim shrugged and let his eyes wander aimlessly,- maybe they'll banish me forever to some deserted planet out in who-knows-where, maybe they'll throw me into jail, or pulverize me.  
  
Truth be told, the thought of meeting such a gruesome fate did scare him a little (a lot), but he couldn't just hide out on Earth forever without the Tallests noticing his radio silence. They'd come looking for him eventually, and he'd rather turn himself in than be more humiliated by his leaders seeing firsthand how much of a failure he was.  
  
-Either way, I don't care anymore. I'm clearly not meant to be an invader.  
  
\- Why do you say that, Zim?!- it was Dib who was grabbing Zim by the shoulders now.  
  
\- Because, Dib, what good is an invader who can't do his job properly? I was sent on a top secret special mission to conquer this planet, but I couldn't even bring myself to torture a simple human when I had him in my clutches.

  
There was another awkward silence between them. Both of them had reasons to resent that one day, and both of them felt they were at fault for how the events turned out. Dib didn't know whether the news of Zim's "retirement" made him feel happy for the safety of the planet or whether he felt...empty? Like something would be missing. It's funny, really, very funny: his whole life he'd been watching and waiting for something extraordinary to happen, something that'd put his paranormal agent skills to good use, and when Zim came around he felt like his life's purpose had been somewhat fulfilled, that he'd be able to prove once and for all that he wasn't crazy or a nutjob like his family and his peers thought he was.

  
But come think of it now, what would happen in the hypothetical scenario that he did expose Zim? Would the government take him away for experiments? Would he just hop back on a spaceship to Irk?

  
Would he have to kill him in order to stop him? Dib had never thought of that. He didn't want to murder the alien, he just wanted to show that he wasn't crazy. He realized that, as much as he hated him, he needed Zim more than he was willing to admit. And that he couldn't let him turn himself in to the Almighty Tallests.

  
\- Wait a minute, I got it Zim!- Dib snapped his fingers and smiled the way he did when he came up with a brilliant scheme. Zim shot him back a dumbfounded look.  
  
\- Uh...what?  
  
\- We'll call a truce!- Dib announced with excitement,- until we can come up with a plan to stop you from getting executed, we'll just call a truce and swear to stop getting on each other's nerves for a while.  
  
\- A truce?- Zim had never thought about it, but it did sound like a better alternative than what he had originally planned,- for how long?  
  
\- Indefenitely,- Dib replied,- it's just until we can figure out a way to keep you safe here on Earth without the Tallests noticing.  
  
Zim wasn't really buying it, but Dib held onto the alien's shoulders again and looked him straight in the eye.  
  
\- Look, it's clear that neither of us wants to mess with each other anymore. You don't wanna be an invader and I don't wanna save the planet from you, so why don't we just put a pause on this whole "enemies" thing until we can figure out what to do?  
  
\- Hm...your plan sounds a little off, Dib,- Zim squinted his eyes at the human boy, who was standing way too close for comfort,- but I guess it's better than anything I can come up with right now.  
  
\- So it's a truce?- Dib took a step back and stretched out his hand. Zim briefly pondered it once more before joining Dib in a firm handshake.  
  
\- Alright, truce.   
  
They both nodded simultaneously and shaked on it. As Zim pulled his hand away, he couldn't help but notice how soft Dib's hands felt. As they walked home together, he wondered if this was common to all humans or if it was just Dib.


	5. Trust

It didn't take long for everyone to notice. After the uneasily quiet day where there was no fighting, no yelling, no dueling on the school cafeteria, everyone had been somewhat wary of the new development in Zim and Dib's rivalry. Dib hadn't told his sister about it, and Zim...well, Zim had nobody to tell, other than Gir of course. But everyone surely noticed when the very next day, just before class, they both casually said "hi" while passing each other in the hallway.

  
You would've heard a pin drop in the deadly silence that immediatley ensued; everyone was too busy dropping their jaws to speak. Of course, this made both boys uncomfortable: Dib wasn't used to having the undivided attention of so many people at once, and Zim was still sort of used to trying to fit in and not garner too much unwanted attention (granted, he was terrible at it, but it's the thought that counts).   
It was Zim who broke the silence first.

  
"Argh, you moronic humans! What are you staring at, huh? I'm just a normal human boy, nothing to see here!" he said as he waved his arms around in the air, simultaneously attracting more attention than he was trying to diverge. Dib buried his head inside his locker, wishing for the earth to part in two and swallow him whole, but Zim's unorthodox method worked: everyone simply looked at each other and then continued walking to their lockers or classrooms.

  
"Pfft, stupid humans" Zim muttered under his breath.  
  
"Thank you, Zim" a familiar voice said from behind him. When he turned it was none other than Dib himself.   
  
"Heh, don't mention it" Zim shot back a wink and a finger guns gesture, to which Dib could only reply with an awkward, awkward smile. Thankfully Zim just turned around and walked to the classroom.   
  
"Okay, what the fuck was that all about?" Dib turned to see Gaz standing in front of him with her arms crossed and a raised eyebrow.  
  
"Oh, um, I-" Dib scrambled to find a convincing answer fast enough. He failed - miserably. Gaz squinted her eyes at him.  
  
"Look, I don't know what's up with you or what's going on here, but at least Zim isn't out to humiliate you or get revenge..."  
  
There was a pause  
  
"...unless this is all part of a grand scheme to earn your trust and eventually destroy you" Gaz added.  
  
"What? No! No, that's not it. We just made a truce yesterday." Dib clarified.  
  
"A truce? With ZIM?!" Gaz gave him a puzzled look, "YOU made a truce with Zim?"  
  
"Sheesh, lower your voice" Dib gestured at Gaz to keep quiet and looked around, paranoid, "yes, I-I made a truce with Zim, you don't have to tell the world about it:"  
  
"But what about-"  
"The safety of the planet? Yeah yeah I know I know, just- look, I'll explain everything to you later, I gotta go to class now" and as he turned around, he bumped right into Torque, who was standing menacingly right in the middle of the hallway. His faced morphed into an obtuse frown.  
  
"Watch where you're going, four-eyes!"  
  
"I didn't see you there, Torque, sorry" Dib rubbed his temples, having stumbled into Torque so abruptly. The athletic boy took a step forward, shadowing over Dib.  
  
"I'm gonna have to teach you how to watch for your surroundings, big brain" Torque said as he bumped his fist into his hand, ready to throw some punches. Before Dib had any time to react, Torque's eyes went blank and he dropped face-first onto the floor in a cloud of smoke. Gaz and Dib looked at each other completely dumbfounded before turning to notice a greenish figure standing behind the smoke, smiling victoriously.  
  
"He won't be bothering you anymore, human, I've taken care of him" Zim said, wiping his hands like he'd just cleaned up a mess.   
  
"Holy smokes, is he dead?" Dib exclaimed.  
  
"Not quite, Dib!" Zim announced "he's simply unconscious thanks to one of my precious irken guns" he said while he caressed a smoking alien-looking gun.  
  
"Zim, I appreciate that but- what are we gonna do with this now?" Dib asked.

  
-

  
Once Dib, Zim and Gaz got done carrying and setting Torque's body in a janitor's closet until he woke up, many hours later. Gaz waved them off before walking to her classroom, and Dib was just about to go to his when he felt something pull on his wrist.  
  
"Zim? Where are you taking me?"  
  
"Skool can wait, Dib; I'm taking you home to show you around my base!"  
  
"What?! You mean we're skipping?"  
  
"Don't be silly, Dib, we're walking!" Zim said while he smiled dismissively. Dib simply rolled his eyes at the alien's misunderstanding of the english language and let Zim drag him outside of skool.  
  
"Okay, fine, I'll go with you to your base, but don't make this a habit okay?"  
  
"Confirmed" Zim grinned with his teeth at Dib, who couldn't help but find the alien's brand new attitude endearing and smiled back.   
  
They walked all the way back to Zim's house. Once they got to the front porch of the base, the gnomes all turned their lasers towards Dib's forehead. The boy was startled and urged Zim to do something about it before he got murdered in cold blood by garden gnomes.  
  
"Oh, right, sorry" Zim mumbled as he took out a small control pad from his pak and pressed a few buttons. The gnomes instantly let down their guards and stopped their laser-pointing. Dib sighed with relief and followed Zim inside the house.   
  
He'd seen the base from the inside before, but this was the first time Zim would actually show him around the whole house. He was very much curious about what it'd look like, if Zim had bothered to make it resemble a normal human house or if it was just the frontage and the rest of the house looked like some sci-fi extraterrestrial home base.  
  
"GIR, I'M HOME!" Zim yelled out into the house. Dib heard clink-clink-clanking like tiny footsteps coming their way until he saw a tiny, friendly-looking robot show up in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room. The robot smiled at both of them and waved at his master.  
  
"WELCOME HOME, MASTER!" Gir yelled out, three decibels louder than he should've. Dib flinched but Zim, who was very much used to this, simply walked towards the kitchen.   
  
"What's HE doing here?" the robot asked, not once losing that semi-permanent smile of his.   
  
"He's our friend now, Gir, so be sure to treat him like a guest" Zim instructed the robot. Dib found it funny how Zim would invariably switch between yelling orders at the metallic servant like a sargeant to his subordinates and simply speaking to him like an equal: sometimes he'd even seen it happen randomly, mid-conversation.   
  
"Go hang his coat so he's more comfortable. DO IT NOW!" Zim pointed Gir towards the guest and walked into the kitchen.  
  
"OKAY!" Gir enthusiastically replied. As he made his way towards Dib to pick up his trenchcoat and hang it up he stumbled and fell flat on his face several times before Dib simply gestured to him that it was okay, he could keep his trenchcoat on. He felt sorry for the robot, but it didn't seem to mind Zim's manners much.  
  
Dib followed his former enemy into the kitchen, just in time to find Zim stepping onto the...trash can?  
  
"What on Earth are you doing, Zim?"  
  
"Step right in, Dib! I was just about to show around you my base. You know, really show you around, not like last time."  
  
That's when Dib remembered what Gaz had told him earlier. He eyed Zim for a moment before saying:  
  
"Wait...how do I know this isn't just another ploy to lure me back into your base?"  
  
Zim widened his eyes in surprise.  
  
"Why would you say that, Dib?"  
  
"Well, I mean...I know we made a truce and all, but really - what's stopping you from simply pretending you're not going to invade Earth anymore, "befriending me" and then simply kidnapping me again to finish what you started, huh?" Dib pointed at Zim and side-eyed him. Zim simply stood on his traschan platform and sighed again. He stepped off the platform and walked towards Dib, placed an a hand on his shoulder, and with a very serious semblance said:  
  
"You're right, you're right, it does sound suspicious if you put it that way."  
  
"So what now, then? How do I know I can trust you?"  
  
Zim pondered on it for a moment.  
  
"I guess you don't."  
  
"Huh?"  
"I guess you don't know if you can trust me yet." Zim walked away from Dib back into the living room. Dib stood there for a couple of seconds, completely dumbfounded, before turning to follow Zim.  
  
"WAIT!" Zim stopped upon hearing the human boy, "so does that mean that we can't be friends?"  
  
"Oh, well, that's up to you really" he shrugged. Dib stood there looking at him, puzzled as ever.  
  
"I...I do wanna be friends with you, Zim" he said, lowering his head, "I just don't know how."  
  
"Well, we've got eternity to figure that out, don't you think?" Zim's serious tone changed to a lighter one, and he cracked half a smile.  
  
"Maybe for you there is - I've got a very limited mortality you know!" Dib chuckled.

The tension wore off as quickly as it built up, but the question still lingered: would they be able to trust each other yet?


End file.
